Saving Holly
by brasskeys
Summary: Gail thinks that Holly saved her when she strolled into her crime scene and into her life. Now it's Gail's turn to save Holly. Literally.
1. Chapter 1

Holly's 2012 metallic blue BMW M3 sped up Highway 62 toward Algonquin Provincial Park. Holly had planned a long weekend – their first weekend away – of snowmobiling and snowshoeing. The dust at 15 Division had finally started to settle, and Holly wanted to celebrate. Gail had protested – she doesn't do sports – but caved in like a tent with no poles when Holly promised lots of sex and "adult hot chocolate" in front of the fireplace.

They had been driving for about 3 hours when Gail abruptly reached for the volume dial on the dash, softening the soundtrack of the last 30 miles – MS MR's Secondhand2. Holly had surprised Gail with the unreleased Remix EP when she proposed the weekend getaway. Holly'd had to call in a favour from a guy that she went to high school – and drunkenly made out at a sweet 16 party – with, who was now an A&R at Columbia Records.

"Are we there yet?" Gail snapped.

"Gail…," Holly smiled. "I told you ten minutes ago. One more hour."

Gail was nervous. The snow that had started falling a half-hour ago was starting to accumulate on the road and on top of the already-high snow banks to either side of it.

"Do they not have snow plows in – where the hell are we?"

"We just passed through Bancroft."

"God… are we still in Ontario? I feel like we've driven all the way to Newfoundland."

"Yep, still in Ontario. But we are very close to Ottawa."

"Ottawa… ugh. I hate the Senators."

"I didn't know you like hockey."

"I don't."

"OK," Holly chuckled.

Gail looked out her window – it was snowing, it was windy, they were in the middle of nowhere, and they were losing the light. The fingers of Gail's right hand clutched the door handle.

The strong winds had created hazardous snow drifts across the two-lane highway that had not yet been plowed.

"Holly, be careful!" Gail shouted as Holly plunged through one.

"I am being careful. We're fine."

"You're not worried about these snow drifts?"

"Not really. It's simple physics, Gail. Newton's first law. As long as you don't change direction or speed too rapidly, there's nothing to worry about."

"OK… but we're in a BMW, Holly, not a Hummer."

"I have snow tires."

"That makes me feel so much better," Gail said with a roll of her eyes.

Having spotted something in the periphery, Gail whipped her eyes back toward the road. She saw the eyes first – illuminated by the BMW's headlights – then the body.

* * *

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 1 Recap: Holly and Gail were in Holly's car on the way to Algonquin Provincial Park for a weekend getaway. It had started to snow, and Gail was increasingly nervous about the road conditions._

* * *

Having spotted something in the periphery, Gail whipped her eyes back toward the road. She saw the eyes first – illuminated by the BMW's headlights – then the body.

"Holly, look out!"

Holly jerked the wheel – trying to avoid the deer – and the tires lost traction. She tried to regain control, but the BMW fishtailed and went into a spin. Gail braced herself with her arms, her right shooting forward to the dashboard, her left shooting across to Holly's chest.

* * *

Gail's eyes flickered open. She looked around, trying to find her bearings. She had a sash of pain across her torso; smoke poured out from underneath the hood. She touched her hand to her face then held it front of her. Blood.

Holly.

Gail snapped her head to the left. Holly was unconscious.

Gail needed to get to her. She turned back to the passenger's side of the car – she pushed the airbag off of her then fought with the seatbelt until it finally released. She tried the door handle – jammed. She tried it again, this time ramming it with her shoulder. It didn't budge.

Gail leaned back in the direction of the centre console, hauling her knees up to her chest and kicking them out through the window. The shatter of safety glass brought Holly gasping back into consciousness.

"Gail… Gail, what… what happened?"

"We had an accident. We're OK. You're going to be fine, Holly. I'm coming around to you."

Gail climbed out of the car through the broken passenger window and dragged herself around the back – there was a tree in the way around the front – of the car to Holly's door. It took three or four tries, but Gail was able to wrench it open, falling backward into the snow when it finally let go.

Gail picked herself up and lurched toward Holly. There was blood on Holly's lips and chin, and she could not seem to catch her breath.

Gail took Holly's face in her hands. "Holly – Holly, what's happening?!"

"Chest pain. Rapid heart rate. Shortness of breath. Hemopneumothorax."

"In English."

"Collapsed lung. Bleeding collapsed lung."

"Oh my god, Holly," Gail cried, looking around frantically. "I have to get you to a hospital. I have to call for an ambulance. I have to go get help!" Gail didn't know what to do first nor how to do it.

"Gail. Listen. No time. Call 911. Get me out; lay me down. Need chest tube. Now. You have to do it."

"What? No – Holly – I can't…"

"You have to," Holly cut in. "If you don't, I'll die."

* * *

_To be continued…_

_What do you think, kind readers? Will Gail be able to save Holly's life?_


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 2 Recap: Holly and Gail were in a car accident on the way to Algonquin Provincial Park (i.e. in the middle of nowhere). Holly diagnosed herself with a hemopneumothorax (bleeding collapsed lung) and told Gail that they can't wait for an ambulance – that Gail has to put in a chest tube._

* * *

"You have to," Holly cut in. "If you don't, I'll die."

Holly's words hit Gail like a bombshell. Holly could die. Holly trusted Gail to save her life.

"You can do it. I'll talk you through."

Holly looked at Gail and caught hold of her darting eyes – **_you can do this, Gail, you can do this_**. Gail took a deep breath and nodded, resolute.

"What do I do?"

"Something sharp. A tube. Something to sterilise. Tape." Holly spoke in fragments – her breathing was becoming more and more shallow.

Gail picked herself up – she had been kneeling at Holly's side, who was lying next to the wrecked car on a blanket that Gail had gotten from the trunk after she'd called 911 – and stumbled back to the trunk. Gail opened her weekend bag with a yank and, out of it, pulled the bottle of Don Julio tequila that she'd packed and the Leatherman multi-tool that Steve had given her for Christmas.

**_"I may be with a woman now, but that doesn't mean that I want TOOLS, Steve,"_** Gail had said when she opened the gift.

From the back of the car, Gail heard Holly murmur, "Gail. Hurry. Going to pass out soon."

"Holly, there's no tape. I don't have any tape!" Gail called back.

"Band-aids. My bag."

Gail tugged the zipper of Holly's bag apart and rummaged around for a few seconds before she saw the box of fabric band-aids.

She scrambled back to Holly's side, dropped to her knees, and set the tequila, multi-tool, and band-aids down on the blanket.

"The tube, Holly – what about the tube?"

"Half… half-inch."

Gail thought for a moment. She stood suddenly and stepped over Holly to her open car door. She punched the deployed airbag out of her way and reached across it to the centre console. She plucked the straw from Holly's half-empty bottle of orange juice.

Gail stepped back over Holly, knelt beside her, and gently placed her hand on Holly's forehead. She was pale.

"Holly, sweetheart, I have everything. I'm ready."

"Something sharp…"

"I have a knife," Gail said, opening the multi-tool.

"Good. Sterilise."

Gail held the knife between her teeth while she reached for the tequila bottle. She pulled out the stopper – tossing it to the side – and showered the blade with the $50-a-bottle tequila.

"OK, what now?"

"Ribs. Count down five. Below that."

Gail put the bottle down – freeing her left hand – and pushed Holly's tee shirt up, feeling for the top of her ribcage.

"One" – she counted as she slid her fingers from one rib to the next – "two… three… four… five. She pressed down beneath Holly's fifth rib. "Here?"

Holly nodded. "Tequila."

Gail tucked the hem of Holly's tee shirt under her bra and grabbed the bottle by its neck. She splashed the clear liquid onto Holly's abdomen – and the hand that was holding the knife.

"Cut. Two centimetres long. Five deep."

Gail inhaled deeply, positioned the blade over the space between Holly's fifth and sixth rib – "deeper than you… think you need to… Gail" – and pushed. Holly groaned and winced at the puncture, and Gail immediately recoiled.

"Keep going," Holly whimpered. "I'm… OK."

Gail took another deep breath, resumed her position, and finished the cut.

"I think I got it, Holly. God, I hope I got it. What now?"

"Tube."

"I have a straw. Is that big enough?"

Holly nodded. "Sterilise. Insert. Secure with band-aids. Going to hurt. Lots of blood."

Gail picked up the box of band-aids and tore it apart. She found the three largest bandages, removed the wrappers, and laid them on the blanket. She picked up the straw next and dipped both ends into the tequila bottle.

Gail paused for an instant, focusing her eyes and her attention on the incision that she had made. She would not be able to do this if she had to watch Holly suffer anymore.

Ready, Gail slid the tube into the opening. Blood spurted out, dying the snow red.

"Gail… good…" Holly tried to speak.

And then everything went black.

* * *

_To be continued… yes, again._

_Will Gail be able to save Holly's life?_


	4. Chapter 4

_Recap: Gail and Holly were in a car accident. Holly was severely injured. Super-doc diagnosed herself with a bleeding collapsed lung and told Gail that she would die if Gail didn't put in a chest tube. Holly managed to talk Gail through the process before losing consciousness._

* * *

Gail slid the tube into the opening. Blood spurted out, dying the snow red.

"Gail… good…" Holly tried to speak.

And then everything went black.

"No – no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Stay with me, Holly. You have to stay with me. Holly? Holly, sweetie, can you hear me? Holly?!" Gail cried, shaking Holly by her shoulders.

No response.

Gail leaned back on her heels, took a breath. She pressed her fingers into her eyes and tried to remember the first aid training that she'd done at the academy.

"ABCs… A… airway. Holly was talking – airway's clear."

"B… breathing." Gail leaned forward and tilted her head to the side, positioning her ear directly above Holly's mouth and nose.

"Oh my god, she's not breathing." Tears started to spill from Gail's eyes.

Pulling herself together, she told herself, "CPR. You have to do CPR."

Gail carefully positioned the heel of her right hand on Holly's sternum – between her breasts – and covered her right hand with her left. She positioned her body over her hands, straightened her arms, and locked her elbows. She pressed down as hard as she could. She knew that it would take strength to compress Holly's chest enough to keep her heart beating.

Gail did 30 chest compressions then paused to breathe twice into Holly's mouth, pinching her nose closed. Gail repeated the rhythm – 30, pause, 2, pause, 30, pause, 2, pause, 30 –

Gail had just finished her third round of chest compressions when she heard a siren.

"Thank god. Holly, the ambulance is coming. The ambulance is almost here. Hold on, sweetheart. I need you to hold on. Please hold on. God, please hold on…"

* * *

_To be continued… i.e. please don't hate me._


	5. Chapter 5

_Double bonus round! Please read chapter 4 first. I posted it about an hour ago.  
_

* * *

"Thank god. Holly, the ambulance is coming. The ambulance is almost here. Hold on, sweetheart. I need you to hold on. Please hold on. God, please hold on…"

…

Holly's eyes flickered open. They scanned the room – **_I think I'm in a hospital_** – finally landing on Gail, who was slumped in the chair next to the bed – **_that can't be comfortable_**. Gail's eyes were closed. Holly smiled and gazed at her tenderly. She didn't want to wake her yet.

Gail's eyelashes fluttered, soft sounds slipped from her heart-shaped lips, her chest rose and fell evenly, her delicate fingers twitched. Holly basked in the peace of the moment.

Knowing it had to end sooner or later, Holly tried to wake Gail gently.

"Gail?" she breathed.

This time it was Gail's eyes that flickered open. They connected with Holly's and a smile passed between them.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"You gave me a bit of a scare."

"I did?"

"You did."

"What happened? Why are we in a hospital?"

"You don't remember?"

"Only pieces…"

"We were in a car accident. Spun off the road on our way to Algonquin. You had a collapsed lung. Managed to talk me through a tube thoracostomy, though. Then you passed out."

"Tube thoracostomy?" Holly raised an eyebrow and a corner of her mouth.

"Google. You were out of it for awhile."

"How long?"

"Couple hours," Gail shrugged.

Holly paused.

"Gail, when I lost consciousness, did I…"

"Stop breathing?" Gail cut in. "Yep. My heart is still in my throat."

"Thank you for that," Gail continued with a wink.

"Paramedics do CPR?"

"Um… nope. I did, actually. The ambulance hadn't come yet." Gail's voice faltered as she relived the moment that she almost lost Holly.

"Gail…"

Gail turned her face away, but Holly could see that her eyes were brimming with tears.

"I guess you, too, are in the business of saving lives," Holly smiled.

Gail turned back to Holly and spilled both laughter and tears.

"I love you, Holly."

* * *

_I don't know if this fic is complete… or… you know… not._

_What say you, loyal readers?_


End file.
